Mager adds that the majority of studentswho are coming into the photographyprogram are more interested in stillimages. “We sometimes get pushback fromthem about learning video,” he says. “Butthese days it’s all part of the deal—it’s justexpanding your toolbox.”As part of a curriculum designed tolast three years, BFA photo students atNYFA usually take at least two semestersof classes in moving images. NYFA hassummer classes as well, so instead of takingsummer breaks, students earn extra creditsby working through the summer. “They’recontiguous semesters. It puts things on afast track,” says Mager.

NYFA emphasizes hands-on learning
through personal projects, exhibitions and
ongoing critiques. “One of the mantras here
is: Learn by doing,” Mager says. “Get gear in
your hands and start right away—you learn
from mistakes and you learn from practice.”
BFA photo students master medium- and/
or large-format film cameras. “The goal is
to get them to slow down and think about
what they’re photographing,” Mager says.

“But then they can scan their work andfinish it digitally.”As a whole, the curriculum is meant tocover the creative and aesthetic aspectsof image-making. Students learn photohistory or film history, and take technicalclasses, computer imaging classes andcourses where “they can find the styleof photography they want to shoot in,”says Mager.

Students join NYFA with various levels
of expertise across different mediums, and
that’s fine. “What we try to do is educate
them on what makes a good picture, and
why you might choose to shoot in one way
versus another,” says Mager.

THIS SPREAD: An image by
Sarah Mattozzi, a student
at NYFA (opposite). An
image by Tanne Willow
(right). A student in
David Mager’s Photo II
class (below).